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Published: November 17th 2006
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Today I’m going to Ayuthuya, the old capital that was destroyed in the war with Burma. This was the trip that Michelle recommended. I booked it yesterday. I’m being collected at 7.30 at the other side of the river, so I have to set off over there just after 7 as I’m not sure what times the boats are, I normally just turn up and hope. When we set off we’re on a massive coach that’s jam packed. I go to sit next to a girl and I’m just about to say hi, when she looks away. Her body language isn’t very welcoming…..arms crossed, legs crossed and turned away, pouting and looking out of the window….maybe she just doesn’t like early mornings.
When we set off the tour guide starts a commentary, and never shuts up. He keeps telling us how long it will be until we arrive at the first place, right down to “in 3 minutes we will reach the palace…”
The first place we got to is Bang Pa-In Palace, the summer resort of Thai royalty. It’s ok, like visiting a stately home. Not my cup of tea, nearer my worst nightmare being in a tour group of
40 people, with another 100 groups here as well. Get out of the way when I’m trying to take a photo! We have about 1 hour here, which is not really long enough to explore, then we move onto the next place, Wat Maha That. This is an old temple that was obliterated in the war. There were over 300 Buddha sculptures here, but most of them were damaged and had their heads knocked off. They’ve left it as it was and so there are lots of Buddha’s without heads. There is supposed to be just one complete Buddha remaining (I’m sure I manage to find two) and this one is huge. It’s really nice that they have left the place as it was and haven’t just bulldozed it because it was damaged in the war. It’s still interesting to see. I’ve also developed a strategy now where I go in the opposite direction to everyone else and work in the opposite direction to them, so that where I want to take photographs is not so crowded. We don’t get enough time there though - 40 minutes. I’m trying to find a specific Buddha I’d heard about and I end
up racing along all these broken Buddha’s trying to find it, it’s a huge place and I don’t manage it.
Then onto the next place, Wat Na Phra Mane. This has a huge seated gold Buddha wearing royal attire, which is rare for Buddha images, and a jade Buddha carving that is over 1000 years old. We get 25 minutes here, so you have a virtual scrum with everyone trying to get pictures. I end up just saying to someone “do you mind just waiting and not walking in front of my photograph.” I don’t like to have to say it but I’m on a schedule here!
Off we go then to the next temple - Wat Lokayasutharam. It’s maddening because there are some interesting things to see on the way and it would be nice to be able to ask to stop and take a photograph - we pass some traditional Thai teak houses on stilts - but we seem so tight for time already. At the next temple we get…..15 minutes!!! This one has the third largest reclining Buddha. I try to explore the remains of the temple as well, but don’t have enough time. I only succeed
in scaring the beejeesus out of a sleeping dog! We’re so rushed that there’s not even time to look around the little market here.
After this we have an hours drive to the pier as we take a boat back down the Chao Prayha river to Bangkok. It’s a 3 hour journey, which includes a buffet lunch. The lunch is nice and I chat to some people form America, Russia and Malaysia. The guy from Malaysia has to have one of the best jobs ever - he’s a purchaser for the Banyan Tree Resorts Hotels, based in China, research and conference for a week in Bangkok with free time for tourism. He tells me that his job is basically shopping and buying with other people’s money!
I finish my lunch quite quickly as I want to get a good seat on the front upper deck to take some photographs. When I get up there the front seats are all taken, so I just stand up to take my photos. This part of the trip s brilliant. I’ve seen a lot of this already when I took the river ferry to Nonthaburi but you get a much better view on this
size boat. That really pays off as we get to Bangkok especially, with really good views of the riverside and temples. I’m amazed that during the trip more people don’t come out onto the deck. They just stay sat at their tables inside - what’s the point? Each to their own I suppose. It’s really hot on deck - maybe that’s why they stay inside. To start with I’m unsure if I’ll be able to stick it out, but I discover that if I stand up I get more of the breeze so it’s fine. I get talking to a couple of English women here and we’re trying to work out the importance of two men that are on deck. They have taken two seats at the front that I thought had been reserved by crew. I tried to take one of the places but they wouldn’t let me. These two are getting special attention and we don’t know why. I suggest that maybe they’ve just paid more. Cynic! I have a bit of a slip of the tongue here too when they ask me where I’m staying and I say that I live in the Klonsang area. I’ve been
here three weeks and already I think I live here!
At the end of the trip I run for the hte shuttle boat that’s just leaving - and just make it. I have a shower and go down to the riverside bar to have a drink. It’s 4.30 so it’s too late to go off and do anything, but it’s too early to eat. I am a little hungry so if I go and have a drink I’ll get the snacks they bring. I take my laptop and camera to sort through my photographs. I get a glass of wine, but no snacks arrive. So I ask a waiter, who just wanders off shrugging his shoulders because he doesn’t understand what I mean, that happens with the second done too. I even try pointing them out on the next table. With the third, she says that she’ll come back to me, and doesn’t. That happens with the fourth too. I’m starting to get a bit agitated now because the first waiter that I asked has taken a second bowl of snacks to the table next to me!!! I try to catch his attention but he walks off in the opposite
direction. So not only did I not receive mine with my drink, when I should have, but the table next to me have had two lots. Not that I begrudge them but I should have had them too. I'm getting worked up about a bowl of nuts! I finally get some when I’ve almost finished my drink, after having to ask a fifth waitress. (the crazy thing is that the next day when I just order juice I’m brought some straight away).
Spend the night watching a film on TV that I’d started watching on the flight to Sri Lanka to find out if the bad guys get caught.
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